Benghazi attack ringleader captured, U.S. says

New York Times

Published 5:56 pm, Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Photo: Ben Curtis, Associated Press

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FILE - This April 11, 2011 file photo shows U.S. envoy Chris Stevens in the lobby of the Tibesty Hotel in Benghazi, Libya. To congressional Republicans, "Benghazi" is shorthand for incompetence and cover-up. Democrats hear it as the hollow sound of pointless investigations. It is, in fact, a Mediterranean port city in Libya that was the site of an attack on an American diplomatic compound on the 11th anniversary of 9/11 that killed U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. That's nearly all that U.S. politicians can agree on about Benghazi. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File) less

FILE - This April 11, 2011 file photo shows U.S. envoy Chris Stevens in the lobby of the Tibesty Hotel in Benghazi, Libya. To congressional Republicans, "Benghazi" is shorthand for incompetence and cover-up. ... more

Photo: Ben Curtis, Associated Press

Benghazi attack ringleader captured, U.S. says

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Cairo --

U.S. commandos have captured the suspected ringleader of the attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, that killed Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, the White House and Pentagon officials said Tuesday.

Apprehension of the suspect, Ahmed Abu Khattala, is a major breakthrough in the 2 1/2-year investigation into the attack, which also killed three other Americans. President Obama vowed swift action to bring the perpetrators to justice. But efforts to identity and prosecute the attackers were stymied by the chaos of the event and the broader mayhem in Libya.

Officials briefed on the investigation have said for more than a year that a plan to capture Abu Khattala was on Obama's desk awaiting approval. But the administration held back, in part for fear that a U.S. raid to retrieve him might further destabilize the already tenuous Libyan government.

Seeking evidence

Diplomats also suggested that the U.S. investigators might have been struggling to produce sufficient witness-testimony and other evidence to convict Abu Khattala of responsibility for the deaths in a U.S. court.

Abu Khattala had scoffed at the U.S. effort to hold him accountable - another reflection of the atmosphere of lawlessness that pervaded Libya after the overthrow and death of Moammar Khadafy, the country's longtime autocrat, in October 2011.

The execution of the raid, which was first reported by the Washington Post, appears to signal that the investigators are confident in their case, and it may also reflect an acceptance that Libya is unlikely to become a stable partner in the pursuit of the culprits any time soon.

Indeed, a renegade general based in Benghazi is currently waging a low-grade military campaign against local Islamist militants like Abu Khattala, and the United States may have sought to arrest the suspect before the general, Khalifa Heftar, killed him in the fighting there.

The Pentagon announced that Abu Khattala had been captured Sunday.

"All U.S. personnel involved in the operation have safely departed Libya," a Pentagon statement said.

Obama's statement

Obama also issued a statement.

"Since the deadly attacks on our facilities in Benghazi, I have made it a priority to find and bring to justice those responsible for the deaths of four brave Americans," Obama said.

The seizure of Abu Khattala by the U.S. team, Obama said, "is a testament to the painstaking efforts of our military, law enforcement, and intelligence personnel. Because of their courage and professionalism, this individual will now face the full weight of the American justice system."

A U.S. law enforcement official said the military-law enforcement team - composed of U.S. commandos and FBI agents - captured Abu Khattala somewhere on the outskirts of Benghazi. No shots were fired, no civilians were hurt and no one else was taken into custody, the official said, in what was apparently a surprise raid.

"It was very clean, in and out, with no one hurt," said the official, who was briefed on the operation and spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the operation. Asked if Abu Khattala was being transferred to the United States, the official said, "He's not here - yet."

The official declined to offer any other details.

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